Endless Summer // Choices

6 - Absolutely Decadent

"Me? ...Well, there has to be something around here that will tell us what happened, right? I say we split up and search the hotel." In my head, this seemed logical, so I suggested it to the group.

"Oh, wonderful idea, Rowan!" Chirps Lila.

Grace wonders if she'll find something at the pool. Jake agrees and decides to go with her, giving the nickname Brain Trust to Grace. Raj asks Craig what they would be doing right now if things were normal. They decide to try the restaurant as they would be eating. Lila tries asking Zahra where she would like to go. She mutters a "Don't Care," and ends up tagging along to the Ballroom.

Soon, everyone is split into groups and heading off to different locations. I'm about to follow when I do a quick head count and pause. Diego asks what the matter is.

"That girl. The quiet one in the hoodie..." I remember back to the airstrip and the way she held my gaze, silent and mysterious. I count one more time to be sure.

"She's gone."

***

I follow Raj, Craig, Sean, and Michelle into Tortuga, the five-star restaurant on the Celestial's upper floors. Like every other room we've seen so far, it's empty.

"Aw that's too bad. I was so hoping everyone in the hotel was just hiding to give us a surprise party. I guess I was wroooooong...?" Raj drags out his words in mock defeat, then listens in anticipation. Sean sighs.

"Raj. There's no surprise party." He says.

"Dammit! That leaves me with one option. Rowan, I need you to slap me." Before I can ask why, he continues. "Because I've definitely had this dream before, and I'd like to wake up before the part where the pancakes come to life and start singing a Beyoncé song." He explains this like it makes perfect sense, and is a very rational thought.

"Uhh... Okay?" I'm not going to question it. Better to just get it done with. I slap Raj across the side of face with a thwack. He recoils slightly, then just looks confused. He admits that this is now most likely not a dream, as that definitely hurt. I kind of felt bad, but then again he asked for it.

"A bunch of these people left their credit cards behind with the bill. Guess everyone took off in a hurry," Sean points out as he strolls amongst the tables.

Michelle looks around, marvelling at the expensive looking restaurant. "Oooh, this place must be absolutely decadent. I mean, just look at these prices! Rowan, we absolutely must come here once the staff show up. The chef is actually a family friend of a family friend, so I practically know him."

I agree with Michelle, even if I don't completely understand what she said, and head over to the floor-to-ceiling window where Sean is looking out.

"So... I'm no volcano expert, but didn't they say that thing was meant to be dormant?" He indicates towards mount Atropo, where a massive plume of steam rises from the crater at the peak. "Because that does not look dormant."

We stand in silence for a while, just watching the volcano. I wonder for how long it's actually been active, and if it could erupt any time soon.

"Whoa, hey, do you see that?" Sean breaks the silence. I look blankly for a second, trying to work out what he can see, but to no avail. "Riiiiight... there!" He extends his arm out to indicate something halfway up the volcano. Something is glinting in the sunlight.

"What is that? Is it someone signalling us?" This is the first sign of humans being on the island I've seen away from the hotel.

"I don't think so. It's too regular. The light blinks every second and a half or so."

"So it's something rotating? Good eye Sean! Maybe that's where the guests took off to?"

We decide to head back to the lobby to tell the others what we've found

***

When we return, it seems everybody else is already there, looking just a bit more confused than before, but chatting about what they'd found.

"Out at the pool, Aleister totally freaked out when Grace was nice to him!" Diego points out with a twinkle in his eyes. "We didn't find much out apart from that I'm afraid."

"We basically stumbled onto a wedding out of the roaring twenties in the ballroom," says Quinn.

I look away from the group to see Aleister standing off my himself in front of a towering painting of a goateed man. Somehow, it feels like I've seen his face before..

"You don't understand, do you? But you will... in time."

He was the man from my dream on the plane, who stood atop the volcano, which I assume was Mount Atropo. I walk up to Aleister, and ask exactly who he is.

"Hm...? Oh, Rowan! It's Everett Rourke. C.E.O. of Rourke international. The man who built this hotel. Visionary... genius... conquerer of every industry..." Aleister sneers up at the portrait of Rourke, who is portrayed holding a sword of emerald. I wonder what he has against the man. "I still think he looks like a fool."

He marches off, and not looking where he's going, bumps straight into Grace!

"Grace, I... Just watch where you're going." He says quietly as he brushes past her. Grace's face falls.

***

Enjoy!! Sorry it's been a while :)